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SHAVING
Where: at home
Best for: legs and underarms
Pros: quick, cheap (unless you use an electric razor),
easily portable
Cons: occasional nicks, stubble, ingrown hairs, razor
burn (on sensitive skins)
Pain factor: zero, unless you cut yourself
Growth factor: you’ll have to do it daily if
you want totally smooth skin
Tips: wait two to three minutes after getting into
the shower or bath before shaving, to soften hairs. Apply
steady, light pressure and change the blade every five to
six shaves. Use water or oil rather than soap, which leaves
skin unpleasantly dry and taut.
DEPILATORIES
Where: at home
Best for: legs, underarm, bikini area, facial hair
(with specifically targeted products only)
Pros: inexpensive, long-lasting, no stubble; after
you’ve used depilatories for a few months, hair grows
back more slowly and sparsely
Cons: messy, sometimes smelly, time-consuming –
usually takes ten minutes or more
Pain factor: none
Growth factor: between five to 20 days, depending
on re-growth rate (but two weeks is about average)
Tips: always do a patch test first to make sure your
skin isn’t sensitive to the product; rinse off with cold
water and avoid sunscreen, body lotions or self-tanners for
at least two hours to prevent irritation
BLEACHING
Where: at home/in a salon
Best for: facial hair, dark hair on forearms, or shins
if you’re lucky enough never to have been seduced by
shaving or other ways of hair removal!
Pros: no stubble or ingrown hairs
Cons: time-consuming, messy, impractical for large
areas
Pain factor: none – unless you have sensitive
skin, or make the mistake of leaving the bleach on for too
long
Growth factor: usually needs re-bleaching after two
to four weeks
Tips: always do a patch test first, and carefully
time application
WAXING (hot or cold)
Where: at home/in a salon
Best for: legs, bikini area, upper lip, underarms
Pros: stubble-free, long-lasting, hair becomes finer
with repeated use
Cons: expensive, messy, time-consuming – and
painful! And you have to wait until there’s a quarter
to half an inch re-growth
Pain factor: off the top of the pain-o-meter
Growth factor: fine hairs reappear in around two weeks;
thicker growth in four to six weeks
Tips: hold skin taut before the wax is pulled (you
can also do this in a salon, clapping your palm on the area
immediately to soothe); allow a few days between waxing and
sun exposure, as newly exposed areas are more sensitive; if
hair is long, trim it with scissors so waxing is faster and
gentler. One expert we found told us to breathe in, then,
on the out-breath, she pulled. Result: no pain at all
ELECTROLYSIS
Where: salon only
Best for: small areas (upper lip, brows, chin, nipples)
Pros: the only (almost) permanent method of hair removal
Cons: extremely expensive and time-consuming as only
a few follicles can be treated per session – and it hurts
Pain factor: high – especially where skin is
thin
Growth factor: some hairs need a few sessions before
they disappear forever
GALVANIC TWEEZER HAIR REMOVAL
Where: salon only
Best for: face, arms, bikini area (like electrolysis)
Pros: considered by some to be a more permanent hair
removal system as the root is destroyed (by a current, transmitted
from the machine, which follows a gel electrode solution down
to the follicle).
Cons: time-consuming and you have to make regular
appointments because hair can only be ‘zapped’ at
a precise time in its growth cycle; if you miss appointments,
some of the hairs will be too late in their cycle to be removed,
and you’ll have to wait till the process repeats itself
for the therapist to have another go.
Growth factor: provided a hair is removed at the right
time in the growth cycle, there will be no regrowth.
SUGARING
Where: at home/in a salon
This 2,000-year-old Middle Eastern technique is similar to
waxing, but because the paste sticks to the hair, rather than
the skin, users say it’s a less painful and more effective
method of removal. Regrowth time is the same as for waxing.
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